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Part of Landscape Pest Risk Mitigation, across New York City and Long Island.
What makes Manhattan different?
Outdoor space in Manhattan is small, valuable and surrounded by rats. Townhouse rear gardens, apartment building courtyards, ground-floor patios, terraces and roof gardens all bring soil, plants and water into a borough with intense rodent pressure. A planted space that would be harmless in the suburbs can become a burrow site beside a cellar wall.
What we look at
- Beds against the building. Soil against the foundation wall is a ready burrow site. Beds should start back from the wall, with a hard edge or paving along the base, or be built as raised beds with solid bottoms or buried mesh.
- Plant choice. Dense ground covers such as ivy are a well-known rat shelter. Open plantings that leave the soil surface visible give rats less cover.
- Paving and hardscape. Pavers over loose fill and gaps at the edges of patios invite burrowing. Proper bases and sealed edges keep rats from moving in underneath.
- Refuse and compost. Bins and compost kept off soil, in a hard-surfaced enclosure, away from beds and cellar doors.
- Tree beds. Street tree beds planned so they do not become burrow sites at the building line.
- Terraces and roof gardens. Built-in planters closed at the base, irrigation kept off walls and doors, and storage that does not create shelter.
Neighborhood pressure
The city designates Chinatown, the East Village and the Lower East Side, and Harlem as Rat Mitigation Zones. Gardens there need the most careful planning, but no Manhattan block is free of pressure.
Working with Graduate
We work with homeowners, landscape designers and building managers. The borough-wide version of this service is under landscape pest risk mitigation. For the building itself, see pre-construction pest risk mitigation in Manhattan.
Common questions
Can a small Manhattan garden really cause a rat problem?
Yes. Norway rats burrow in soil, and a rear garden or courtyard bed against a building wall gives them a sheltered burrow site within inches of the cellar. In a dense neighborhood, rats from the block will find any space that offers soil, cover and food.
What about terraces and roof gardens?
Planters and raised beds on terraces and roofs are less exposed to burrowing, but they still need attention: built-in planters with gaps at their bases, irrigation that keeps areas damp, and storage underneath can all give mice and insects shelter.
Do street tree beds matter?
Tree beds in front of a building are a common rat burrow site in the city. Plantings, guards and how the bed meets the building line affect whether rats settle there, steps from the front areaway and cellar.
Where should trash be stored in a garden plan?
Away from planting beds and the building's cellar entrances, in a hard-surfaced enclosure with lidded containers. Refuse next to soil and cover is the combination rats look for.
Which neighborhoods face the most pressure?
The city's Rat Mitigation Zones in Manhattan are Chinatown, the East Village and the Lower East Side, and Harlem. Gardens and courtyards there should be planned assuming heavy pressure from the surrounding blocks.
How do we start?
Send the plan or photos of the space. We review it, visit before planting and hardscape, and give the designer a short list of changes.
Landscape Pest Risk Mitigation in Manhattan
Start with a free consultation
A consultation is a phone call with us about your problem. You tell us what you are seeing, where in the building, and how long it has been going on, and we tell you what it most likely is and what it will take to fix. There is no charge for the call.
Work like this starts with a paid on-site inspection. We go through the building, find how the problem is getting in and why it is staying, and give you a written plan and scope of work. The inspection fee is quoted before the visit and is credited toward the job if you go ahead.
Call (631) 212-9601Schedule an inspection
Answered at any hour.